Fabric centering device



Jan. 25', 1944.

- A. ANDREOTTO FABRIC cizwrmnme DEVICE Filed June 6'. 1942' 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 25, 1944. 4

A. ANDREQTTO FABRIC CENTERING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 6. 1942Patented Jan. 25, 1944 FABRIC CENTERINGDEVICE Angelo Andreotto, Clifton,N. J assignor to Botany Worsted Mills, Passaic, N. J., a corporation ofNew Jersey Application June 6, 1942, Serial N... 446,081 1 Claims. (01.271-25) The object of the present invention is to provide means forcentering lengths of fabric being fed to washing, finishing or otherfabric treating apparatus. Ofter the lengths of fabric are led to thefeeding mechanism when roughly folded, stacked or piled, and it isnecessary for an operator to constantly watch the fabric as it is led tothe feeding mechanism in order to keep the fabric centered. It issometimes necessary to exert upon the moving Web of fabric a lateralshifting force continuing over substantial periods of time, due to anumber of different factors including the character of the weave. Bymeans of the present invention, manual control of the movement of thefabric may be eliminated-and a device is provided which will meet everycondition required for centering fabrics of all kinds.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which- Figure 1 is a view in end elevation, partly insection, illustrating an embodiment of the invention, looking in thedirection of arrows l-I, Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a, fragmentary front elevation illustrating the elementsshown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the embodiment.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view showing two of the centeringrollers, their yoke carriers and the bar which swings the carriers.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing one of the centering rollers andthe mounting and swinging means therefor.

Figure 6 is a perspective View, illustrating the frictional actuator forthe centering rollers, the means for adjusting the limit of movingthereof.

Figure 7 is a vertical section taken through the frictional actuator onthe line l'l, Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a wiring diagram for the reversible motor which drives thefrictionalactuator.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown at I a framework comprising tWospaced standards connected near the top thereof by an angle frame memberI :0. One of the standards carries a bracket 2 supporting a reversiblemotor 3, the shaft 3a: of the latter driving a pulley 4 which receives abelt 5 led over a driven pulley 6 on a shaft 1 suitably carried bybearing members connected to the frame.

Carried by shaft 1 is a worm 8 which drives a worm wheel 9 on a shaftl0. Loosely mounted on shaft [0 is an actuator disk ll. Keyed orotherwise secured to shaft in at opposite sides of the actuator disk arefriction drive disks l2. These friction drive disks are preferably facedwith rubber or other suitable frictional material l2, Figure 7.

In order to adjust the'degree of functional grip between the actuatordisk I I and the frictional drive disk l2, the outerv end of shaft l0may be threaded to receive an adjusting nut I 3.

Actuator disk I l carries an arm Ila: pivotally connected to the yokeend I41: of a link 14 which in. turn is .pivoted to the yoke end of anactuator bar l5 for the centering rollers now to be described. r

Carried by the transversely extending angle frame Is: at the top of theframework is a plate I6, and in straight line arrangement the plate haspivoted'thereto a plurality of U-shaped centering roll carriers l1, eachcarrier having welded or otherwise secured thereto a lever Ila: pivotedto actuator bar IS. The arms of each carrier I! support a shaft l8 for acentering roller IS. The pivots for the centering roller carriers areindi cated at 20.

At the front of the device is a. guide roller 2| which'receives the webof fabric indicated at F. Roller 2| is mounted in bearing bosses 22:12at the ends of arms 22 projecting from the framework. The web of fabricthen passes to and over the centering rollers l9 and passes over arearwardly positioned roller 23, Figure 1.

Secured upon cross frame member la: is an arm 24 formed at its end-withasleeve 24:1: which adjustably receives supporting shaft 25 for a switchdevice. The switch device in the present embodiment comprises a box-likehousing 26 having an aperture in its base for the movement of the switcharm 21 pivoted on bracket 28x. Switch arm 2'! acts by gravity to move acontact finger 211: into engagement with a circuit-closing contact 28,and the finger is also positively movable against gravity by the web offabric in areverse direction to carry contact finger 213: intoengagement with a second circuit-closing contact 29. Contact finger 21xnormally lies between contacts 28 and 29 through engagement by aproperly centered web of fabric F with the switch arm 21m.

The motor 3 is reversible. As shown by the diagram, Figure 8, the powerfeed line P is connected to both of the positive poles of the motor,whereas one pole at the negative side is connected by line A to switchcontact 28 and the second negative pole is connected by line B to switchcontact 29, the contact finger 21a: being grounded. Thus when contactfinger 21a: engages contact 28 the motor will rotate in a givendirection, and when contact finger 24a: engages contact 29 the motorwill rotate in a reverse direction.

As the web of fabric is pulled over the roller l9 it will, if properlycentered, maintain a light pressure on switch arm 21 and will hold itagainst gravitational action intermediate contacts 28 and 29 and themotor will remain idle. Should the moving web of fabric creep to theright, switch arm 21 will carry finger 21x into engagement with contact29' and the motor will rotate to turn wormwheel 9 clockwise thusshifting the fabric web to the left until finger 21a: moves to a pointintermediate the contacts. In many cases there will be a lateralcreeping of the fabric which is progressive over a considerable periodof time, and, in such case, the automatic adjustment will, throughoutsuch period, maintain that part of the web which passes off the roller2| properly centered with respect to roller 23' or any other receivingelements. Should the web creep to the left the gravitational action ofswitch arm 21m: will cause finger 21:1: to engage contact 28 and areverse action will take place.

Means are provided for limiting the angular movement of the centeringrollers l9, such means being illustrated in Figure 6' more particularly.It will be seen that arm Hr of the actuator disk lies adjacent anarcuate bracket 30 which is fixed to the frame. The bracket is formedwith a plurality of apertures to receive opposed stops 3|. In accordancewith the spacing of these stops the movement of actuator disk I l islimited in either direction. Hence the maximum angle of movement of thecentering rollers may be controlled.

By means of the invention, it is unnecessary for an operator to watchand manipulate the fabric web as it is led to the initial roller of themechanism, the apparatus automatically centering the web of fabric byexerting thereon a later'al'shifting force in either of two directions,which force will continue until the web is properly centered, and if theweb has a constant tend ency to creep, the corrective shifting forcewill be constantly applied.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is as follows: 7

1. In fabric centering devices and in combinationwith means for guidinga web of fabric, of a plurality of individually pivoted and normallycoaxial centering rollers over which the web of fabric may be led, powermeans for angularly adjusting said centering rollers in a givendirection and in a reverse direction, and means adapted to be engagedand moved by the web of fabric for controlling the direction ofindividual pivotal movements of said centering rollers in accordancewith creeping movements of the web of fabric transversely of itslongitudinal axis whereby the rollers are moved into and out of co-axlalrelationship.

2. In fabric centering devices and in combination with means for guidinga web of fabric, of a plurality of centering rollers over which the webof fabric may be led, a pivoted carrier for each roller the carriersnormally holding the rollers in co-axial relationship, a reversiblemotor and connections with each pivotal carrier for swinging the ame inreverse directions, and means adapted to be engaged and moved by the webof fabric for controlling the direction of movement of said pivotedcarriers in accordance with creeping movements of. the web transverselyof its longitudinal axis whereby the rollers are moved into and out ofco-axial' relationship.

3. In fabric centering devices and in combination with means for guidinga web of fabric, of a plurality of centering rollers over which the webof fabric may be led, pivotal carriers for each roller the carriersnormally holding the rollers in co-axial relationship, a reversibleelectric motor, and conriections between the motor and each of saidcarriers for swinging the same to carry the rollers into and out ofco-axial relationship, two electrical circuits, one leading to the motorfor operation thereof in a given direction and one leading to the motorfor operation thereof in a reverse direction, and a movablecircuit-closing device adapted to selectively close the two circuits,said device including an arm adapted to lie in contact with an edge ofthe web of fabric and to be moved thereby in accordance with creepingmovements of the web of fabric transversely of its longitudinal axis.

4. In fabric centering devices and in combination with means for guidinga web of fabric, of a set of centering rollers over which the web offabric may be led, pivoted carriers for the centering rollers, areversible electric motor, and connections between the same and a barconnected to the carriers for swinging the same in reverse directionsthereby carrying the rollers into and out of co-axial relationship, twoelectrical circuits leading to the motor, one for controlling therotation thereof in one direction and one for controlling the rotationthereof in an opposite direction, and a switch device for selectivelyclosing the two circuits including a switch-actuating member adapted tobe engaged by an edge portion of the web of fabric and to be moved inaccordance with creeping movements of the webof fabric transversely ofits longitudinal axis.

5. In fabric centering devices constructed in accordance with claim 2, africtionally driven actuator disk forming a part of the connectionsbetween the pivotal and reversible motor, and means for adjusting thelimit of movement of said frictional disk in each of two directions.

ANGELO ANDREOT'IO.

